How Should Gonorrhea Be Treated?
Up to 50% of patients with gonorrhea also have chlamydia infections. Patients diagnosed with gonorrhea, therefore, should be treated for both infections simultaneously. (For more information, go to Chlamydia Treatment & Prevention in Pregnancy for chlamydia.) Antibiotic therapy can effectively alleviate symptoms and cure gonorrhea infections-as long as you take the medication as prescribed. In general, treatment should begin as soon as possible after diagnosis. Treating Uncomplicated Infections In non-pregnant women with uncomplicated infections of the cervix, urethra, or rectum, the CDC recommends the following treatment: • cefixime (Suprax), 400 milligram (mg) orally; • ceftriaxone (Rocephin), 125 mg injected into a muscle (intramuscularly); • ciprofloxacin (Cipro), 500 mg orally; • ofloxacin (Floxin), 400 mg orally as a single dose; or • spectinomycin (Trobicin), 2 grams injected intramuscularly in a single dose. These regimens are all 97 to 99% effective in curing N. gonorrhoeae in
